And you thought the recession would cause prices to drop. Here are 5 most expensive mobile phones in the world in order of potential damage to your wallet.

iPhone $2.5G
â€œCan’t touch this! Nah! Na! Na! Nah!â€

Made for the money tycoons, nothing spells expensive and luxury other than the new Kings Button iPhone 3G. With a staggering estimated price of … *drum roll* $2.5 MILLION, this is one phone you don’t want to drop in a toilet. Designed by the renowned Austrian designer Peter Aloisson, this iPhone is the ultimate techie bling bling with its diamonds and gold inlay. A whooping 6.6 carat diamond was used for the phone’s main button and the luxurious casing is made up of combined 18 carat Rose Gold, White Gold and Yellow Gold. The edge of the iPhone was also lavishly adorned by 138 finely cut diamonds; even one of those is worth more than the phone itself. Although no special features were added to the phone itself, the phenomenal amount of money invested on the modification makes this phone say… one in a 2.5 million? Just carrying this million dollar phone is enough to send the message â€œI’m rich, you’re poor.â€ in a subtle yet flashy way. For those of us who can’t afford that $2.5M for a mobile phone, we can always go for the regular iPhone 3G technologically adorned with 3G capabilities, Wi-Fi, touch screen and of course the signature apple logo.

Ancort Diamond – Smart and Sexy

â€œShaggydelic baby!â€

If the Russian government were giving away Ancort Diamond Crypto Smart Phone to each and every one of their spies, James Bond will be wearing a KGB badge with red and Kremlin written all over him. Produced by Ancort, a leading company on the field of secure phone technology based in Russia and designed by no other than Peter Alloison, famous for making luxury phones and expensive accessories. The diamond adorned Ancort phone is easily the best of two worlds, one being one of the most expensive and second is one of the most secured. On the outside, it is extravagantly covered in 40 regular and 10 rare blue diamonds. Also, the combination of rose gold and yellow gold was encrusted on the surface and to give the final touch of elegance, the sides are of fine wood. Inside, it is equipped with the latest CTS (Crypto Telecommunication Security). The phone is so hi-tech that aside from its special encryption technology, the Ancort Diamond Crypto Smart Phone can contact the proper authorities in case of emergencies or crimes. The phone also features a high-resolution color TFT screen and a built-in memory that can hold up to 4000 contacts. The merging of high-end and high-tech doesn’t come cheap; you would need to cash out $1.3 MILLION for this baby. So if you’re not crazy rich and you want one of this, better save up and maybe learn a little Russian.

Goldvish Million Dollar Phone… No Kidding!

â€œMy preciousâ€¦â€

This cell phone places expense in the word expensive, and if there is such a thing as burning money, the Goldvish â€œLe millionâ€ mobile phone is one uncontrollable bush fire. From the name itself â€œLe Millionâ€, its price tag is around $1-1.3 MILLION, enough digits to give you nauseating feeling like you are standing atop the edge of a 100-story building. This cash behemoth was crafted by Emmanuel Gueit and is reserved for the elite among the rich since only 3 were ever produced. The Le Million is one of the world’s most expensive phones and once held the Guinness World Record for its sheer value alone. The phone’s shell is made of polished 18 carat gold available in yellow, pink or white and extravagantly coated by 120 carat worth of high grade diamonds. Those are enough carats to place it above iPhone Princess Plus and the Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte. The phone itself is not lacking in features including international roaming capability, 2 GB memory, Bluetooth, mp3 player, FM radio and a camera. Although the Le Million is not about features, the price dictates that it should be at least at par with the latest technology. Other $25k variants are also available for those who want to pamper themselves with luxury without going over the top.

Bucherun Vertu Ssssignature Cobra

â€œNot all snakes dwell in the forestâ€¦â€

Temptationâ€¦ that is what the Bucheron Vertu Signature Cobra is all about. It kind of reminds you of the fall of Adam with its serpentine design embedded with 21 carats worth of rubies. Crafted by the French jeweler Bucheron, the phone’s 439 magnificent ruby crystals form the snakes body and head while two gorgeous emerald stones form the seductive eyes. To further mesmerize, the phone is also decorated by a 1 carat round clear and a 2 carat pear-cut diamond. Like an ancient artifact from a snake cult, straight out of an Indiana Jones movie, you can’t help but feel lust and avarice towards this phone. It is a good thing that it is limited to 8 units only or it will make the ruby mines run for their money. Vertu also comes with a unique concierge service being able to provide updates on food, movies, travel and coolest event to help you indulge in your pleasures. The price however is the devils deal, at $310,000 you can truly feel the heat burning through your pockets. A more earthly version is also available starting at $115,000 but without the sinister luster of the rubies.

Sony Ericsson Black Diamond

â€œWhite is fast but black is faster.â€

This black beauty is a symbol of finesse and elegance. A perfect exemplar of what is meant by two sayings combined; simplicity is beauty and black isâ€¦ you know that, beautiful. This phone also reminds me of F1 McLaren Mercedes, black and powerful with enough features to give the competition a run for their cash. It’s a wild rare gem in the mobile phone world. If you are one of the 5 fortunate and probable owners of this lavishness (as this phone was limited to 5 units at first) then you must be very wary. With the phone crafted with titane with polycarbonate, diamonds, and mirror finish cladding designed by Jaren Goh, you’ll probably gaining foes to whoever accidentally scuffs it. Perhaps you may even think twice (or not at all?) to let any one borrow it just for a few minutes. The Black Diamond has 400Mhz Intel processor and uses Windows mobile 5. Other features that deserve your $300,000 worth of money include IEEE 802.11g Wi-Fi, 4MP digital camera, Quad-band, touch screen, 128 internal memory, and additional external storage of 2 GB SD card. Though the Black Diamond is a Sony Ericsson phone, it was startlingly released in 2007 by VIPN.